Conventionally made lightweight shoes that may be used for walking or other similar activity frequently have relatively flexible soles and are cement lasted. This type of construction is cost efficient. However, the heel counters of such shoes typically have inwardly turned lasting flanges and therefore offer little resistance to heel roll over or pronation when walking.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,852,275 (the '275 patent) and 4,704,808 (the '808 patent) disclose a shoe with a heel counter having an outwardly extending flange to increase stability and resistance to roll over. However, the construction disclosed in the '275 and '808 patents requires the rearpart of the upper to be stitched through the outwardly extending flange to a sole component, such as the insole. While this type of construction adds stability to the rear part of the shoe, it also increases the cost to manufacture the shoe. Additionally, the outwardly extending flange needs to be located at the interface between the insole and the outwardly extending flange, thereby limiting the design possibilities for shoes utilizing this construction.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a lightweight shoe with improved lateral stability to the foot and resistance to roll over, particularly at the rear part of the shoe.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a lightweight shoe with improved lateral stability that allows for a variety of construction methods to be utilized for manufacture, such as cement lasting the upper to the sole.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a lightweight shoe with improved lateral stability that allows for a variety of design variations by varying the location of the outwardly extending flange and eliminating the requirement that the upper be stitched through the flange to the insole.